China's solar parks occupy areas larger than entire cities and generate energy on a scale that Brazil has not yet achieved.

Published 03/01/2026 às 19:26

Chinese solar complexes cover over 400 km², produce energy for millions of people, and place the country far ahead of the rest of the world.

China has become, by a wide margin, the world’s leading power in solar energy., operating photovoltaic parks of gigantic dimensions and generation capacity that surpasses the sum of several countries. In desert regions and on the Tibetan plateau, the country has built solar complexes with areas exceeding 400 km², something unparalleled in Brazil.

To give you an idea of ​​the scale, 400 km² is equivalent to more than 500 times the area of ​​the Maracanã stadium, one of the largest stadiums in the world.

Where are these giant solar parks in China located?

The largest Chinese solar parks are concentrated in:

• in western China, in desert regions
• on the Tibetan Plateau, at an altitude of almost 3.000 meters.

These areas have high solar incidence, low population density, and are connected to large urban centers by ultra-high voltage transmission lines, capable of transporting energy for thousands of kilometers.

What these parks produce: energy on a continental scale.

According to data from the International Energy Agency (IEA), China has already surpassed 600 gigawatts (GW) of installed solar capacity, representing more than a third of all existing solar energy on the planet.

In practice:

• China generates hundreds of terawatt-hours (TWh) per year using only solar energy.
• In a single year, the country installs more solar capacity than many countries have in their entire history.

China vs. Brazil: Differences in size, production, and scale.

The comparison clearly shows the difference between the two countries:

• China: to over 600 GW installed solar capacity
• Brazil: near 45 GW (including large power plants and distributed generation)

In other words, China operates a capacity more than 13 times greater than Brazil’s.

While Chinese solar parks occupy hundreds of square kilometers, the largest solar projects in Brazil typically cover areas between 5 and 20 km², geared towards regional, not continental, power generation.

Energy prices: why China can generate more cheaply

Another crucial point is the cost of solar energy. China dominates virtually the entire global production chain for photovoltaic panels, inverters, and batteries, which drastically reduces prices.

In many Chinese projects, the cost of solar energy is already lower than that of fossil fuels, even without substantial subsidies. In Brazil, despite the strong growth of solar energy, costs are still impacted by logistics, transmission, and the smaller scale of projects.

Solar giants explain why China dictates the pace of the energy transition.

Solar parks larger than cities, producing enough power to supply millions of people, and with ever-decreasing costs explain why China is setting the pace for the global energy transition.

Brazil is making rapid progress in solar energy, but it is still far from operating projects with the scale, integration, and economic impact of Chinese mega-solar complexes.